One Year Bible.

The Offering of Isaac

¹Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

²“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

³So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.

⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.”

⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.

⁷Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!”

“Here I am, my son,” he replied.

“The fire and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.

⁹When they arrived at the place God had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the wood. ¹⁰Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

The LORD Provides the Sacrifice

¹¹Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

¹²“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”

¹³Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

¹⁵And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, ¹⁶saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, ¹⁷I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. ¹⁸And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

¹⁹Abraham went back to his servants, and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham settled in Beersheba.

The Sons of Nahor

²⁰Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor: ²¹Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ²²Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”

²³And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. ²⁴Moreover, Nahor’s concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Women Minister to Jesus

¹Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, ²as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable: ⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

⁶Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop — a hundredfold.”

As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

‘though seeing, they may not see;

though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹²The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹³The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

¹⁵But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

The Lesson of the Lamp

¹⁶No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light. ¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.

¹⁸Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

¹⁹Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they were unable to reach Him because of the crowd. ²⁰He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.”

²¹But He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²²One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

²³As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. ²⁴The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” He asked.

Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

The Demons and the Pigs

²⁶Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.

²⁸When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!” ²⁹For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.

³⁰“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.

³²There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

³³Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside. ³⁵So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

³⁷Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.

³⁸The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

The Healing Touch of Jesus

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. ⁴¹Just then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his house, ⁴²because his only daughter, who was about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus went with him, the crowds pressed around Him, ⁴³including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. ⁴⁴She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵“Who touched Me?” Jesus asked.

But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people are crowding and pressing against You.”

⁴⁶But Jesus declared, “Someone touched Me, for I know that power has gone out from Me.”

⁴⁷Then the woman, seeing that she could not escape notice, came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched Him and how she had immediately been healed.

⁴⁸“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹When He entered the house, He did not allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵²Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.” ⁵³And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴But Jesus took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” ⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were astounded, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

The Root of Jesse

¹Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

²The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and strength,

the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.

³And He will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what His eyes see,

and He will not decide by what His ears hear,

⁴but with righteousness He will judge the poor,

and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth

and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

⁵Righteousness will be the belt around His hips,

and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

⁶The wolf will live with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the goat;

the calf and young lion and fatling will be together,

and a little child will lead them.

⁷The cow will graze with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

⁸The infant will play by the cobra’s den,

and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.

⁹They will neither harm nor destroy

on all My holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the sea is full of water.

¹⁰On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. ¹¹On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

¹²He will raise a banner for the nations

and gather the exiles of Israel;

He will collect the scattered of Judah

from the four corners of the earth.

¹³Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart,

and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off.

Ephraim will no longer envy Judah,

nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

¹⁴They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west;

together they will plunder the sons of the east.

They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab,

and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

¹⁵The LORD will devote to destruction

the gulf of the Sea of Egypt;

with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand

over the Euphrates.

He will split it into seven streams

for men to cross with dry sandals.

¹⁶There will be a highway for the remnant of His people

who remain from Assyria,

as there was for Israel

when they came up from the land of Egypt.

Joyful Thanksgiving

¹In that day you will say:

“O LORD, I will praise You.

Although You were angry with me,

Your anger has turned away,

and You have comforted me.

²Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,

and He also has become my salvation.”

³With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation, ⁴and on that day you will say:

“Give praise to the LORD;

proclaim His name!

Make His works known among the peoples;

declare that His name is exalted.

⁵Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things.

Let this be known in all the earth.

⁶Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion,

for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”

The Burden against Babylon

¹This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received:

²Raise a banner on a barren hilltop;

call aloud to them.

Wave your hand,

that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

³I have commanded My sanctified ones;

I have even summoned My warriors

to execute My wrath

and exult in My triumph.

⁴Listen, a tumult on the mountains,

like that of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,

like nations gathered together!

The LORD of Hosts is mobilizing

an army for war.

⁵They are coming from faraway lands,

from the ends of the heavens—

the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—

to destroy the whole country.

⁶Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near;

it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

⁷Therefore all hands will fall limp,

and every man’s heart will melt.

⁸Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them;

they will writhe like a woman in labor.

They will look at one another,

their faces flushed with fear.

⁹Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming—

cruel, with fury and burning anger—

to make the earth a desolation

and to destroy the sinners within it.

¹⁰For the stars of heaven and their constellations

will not give their light.

The rising sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light.

¹¹I will punish the world for its evil

and the wicked for their iniquity.

I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant

and lay low the pride of the ruthless.

¹²I will make man scarcer than pure gold,

and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.

¹³Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,

and the earth will be shaken from its place

at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts

on the day of His burning anger.

¹⁴Like a hunted gazelle,

like a sheep without a shepherd,

each will return to his own people,

each will flee to his native land.

¹⁵Whoever is caught will be stabbed,

and whoever is captured will die by the sword.

¹⁶Their infants will be dashed to pieces

before their eyes,

their houses will be looted,

and their wives will be ravished.

¹⁷Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes,

who have no regard for silver

and no desire for gold.

¹⁸Their bows will dash young men to pieces;

they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;

they will not look with pity on the children.

¹⁹And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,

the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,

will be overthrown by God

like Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰She will never be inhabited

or settled from generation to generation;

no nomad will pitch his tent there,

no shepherd will rest his flock there.

²¹But desert creatures will lie down there,

and howling creatures will fill her houses.

Ostriches will dwell there,

and wild goats will leap about.

²²Hyenas will howl in her fortresses

and jackals in her luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s time is at hand,

and her days will not be prolonged.